Comparing the Amtrak I took to California to the high speed rail I took to Beijing, the former might as well have been an 1800s steam engine. Old, slow, stopped often, smelled bad, food was pretty bad, it was majorly late, and it took far longer than driving the same route would have. It’s been over a decade, but I’ll never consider one again until we move into the 21st century.

The one positive was the observation car. That thing was super nice, had more comfortable seats, and gorgeous views.